Switchblade Comb

The Silence Before Bach
04.25 – 12:00 PM
04.27 – 7:30 PM

The surprise of the fest. I didn’t think I’d get much out of a cinematic essay of Bach’s legacy, but vignettes play out with truck drivers and tour guides in places like rundown motel rooms and on the subway. Very fascinating, unique style in what could have been a pretentious mess.

Rudo Y Cursi

An absolute blast. Director Carlos Cuarón’s story of a brotherly rivalry in the world of professional soccer doesn’t have much to do with the sport, but the reunion of Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna makes the film one of the most entertaining of the year so far. Rarely have I seen an audience get more into a film then the MPSIFF audience was for the finale. Opens in Minneapolis at the Uptown Theatre on May 29.

Jerichow
04.25 – 9:20 PM
05.26 – 7:35 PM

A better-than-average love triangle thriller (kind of) taking place in Germany between a war vet, a local entrepreneur, and his wife. Nothing groundbreaking, but it wins points for great cinematography and for never getting too overdramatic.

Sleepwalking Land
04.26 – 9:45 PM
04.27 – 5:15 PM

In Mozambique, a child and an old man journey through a war-torn wasteland to find the boy’s mother. As I see more and more films in the fest, I run out of opinions for the more forgettable films like this. There’s nothing wrong with it per se, but neither did anything stick.

In a Dream
04.25 – 6:40 PM

A documentary on the troubled life of artist Isaiah Zagar, whose work you’ll probably recognize. Again, an average but fleeting film, though it just won the Emerging Visions Audience Award at SXSW.

The week of May 1st through the 7th is MSPIFF’s week of Best of Fest and holdovers at the Oak Street, and while the best will be announced later this weekend (strange, since some films will still not have played by then), the holdovers have been announced. Unfortunately Helen isn’t included, but be sure to check out Peer Gynt From the Streets.

HOLDOVERS
- Border 1918
- Harvesting the Wasteland
- Little Greek Godfather
- Marcello Marcello
- Mutum
- Olaf H. Hauge, Poet
- Peer Gynt From the Streets
- The Photograph
- Qadir: An Afghan Ulysses
- Teddy Bear
- Three in Love
- A Poet’s Estate
- Begging for Billionaires
- The Corner Shop
- Defamation

Nobody does cheesiness better than Richard Curtis.

A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960′s.

Director: Richard Curtis (Love Actually, 4 Weddings & a Funeral)

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, January Jones, Rhys Ifans, Rhys Darby, Kenneth Branagh

Release Date: August 28

Trailer

There’s been a noticeable hole in Twin Cities cinema ever since the Oak Street and Bell Auditorium pretty much closed their doors, but while I can’t reveal any details at the moment (mostly because I don’t really know any), it’s rumored that there may be a new venue for film viewing starting up in the Twin Cities to pick up the pieces, possibly by year’s end. The Heights, Riverview, and Parkway have been doing a great job lately at providing interesting, alternative film options around town, and this would definitely be another leap forward in that direction.

I’m not even sure why I’m posting this given the complete lack of info (it’s a slow news day), but just trust me when I say that this is something to be incredibly excited about if it all works out. We’ll keep you up to date if and when the official word hits.

The universally reviled cinematic adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ The Informers (which sadly includes Brad Renfro’s final performance) is appearing out of nowhere this Friday across the country in a small collection of theaters. Places where you can put your viewing limits to the test in the Twin Cities are as follows . . .

- Arbor Lakes 16
- Eden Prairie Mall 18
- Block E Stadium 15
- Eagan Stadium 16

The Informers – Trailer

The MTV Movie Awards air Sunday, May 31.

From Manners; due out May 19.

6:30 – Rudo Y Cursi
Director present.

Tato (Gael García Bernal) and Beto (Diego Luna), two brothers living a hard life of manual labor in rural Mexico, have a simple dream of saving enough money to build their mother her dream house. But fate has other plans; a friendly game of soccer leads to first one, then the other being taken on by the nations top talent scout, Batuta, and gives rise to the first of many emotional head to heads between brothers. Suddenly, they find themselves living the high life of star athletes—fame, riches, fast cars, and beautiful women. But every dream has a dark side, and when they are forced to compete on rival teams, bitterness brews between them.

OTHER NOTABLE SCREENINGS

7:00 – The Red Tail
Followed by an after-party at the Red Stag
9:55 – My Time Will Come

So why is there no Best Local Film in your Best of the Twin Cities guide? You know, like Bits, Seeking Wellness, or …and on the 7th Day God Rocked?

Not that you actually review local films or anything.

Thanks for your continued non-support.

Off of the great Saturdays=Youth, out now.

(via PTV)

This Sunday at 7:55 PM at St. Anthony Main, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata will have its one-time screening during MSPIFF. Switchblade Comb has been behind this film ever since it won the Jury Prize at Cannes last year, and it has since gone on to nab unanimous rave reviews and Midnight Eye’s Best Japanese Film of 2008 title.

Cinema doesn’t get much better than the work of Kiyoshi Kurosawa. If there’s only one film to see during MSPIFF, this is it.

Tokyo Sonata – Trailer